Westone is the industry standard in the world of in-ear monitoring. Founded in 1959, Westone is the world's premier manufacturer of high performance in-ear monitors, earphones and innovative speaker technology. Westone collaborated on a custom musicians' filter hearing earpiece in 1987, and in 1990 was first in the industry to use balanced armature drivers in custom-fit earpieces for musicians' monitors. In 1991, Westone developed IEMs for Rush and Def Leppard. After designing and producing in-ear monitors for other brands, Westone introduced its own product line in 2002, and has since launched the venerable UM Pro Series, ES Series, W Series (winner of 2014 Digital Trends Award) and AC Series.